A goal of imaging technology is to make the observer feel as though he or she is part of an image. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,990,941 and 6,002,430, currently assigned to the assignee of the present application, describe wide-angle image viewing systems and methods. The patents provide full freedom viewing inside of a complete spherical image composed of one or two combined hemispheric images. As a result, there are no bounds on the user's freedom to view in any direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,430 patent discusses techniques for capturing first and second images, each having a field-of-view of 180 degrees or greater. In one embodiment two cameras are placed in a “back-to-back” arrangement having lenses with a 180 degree or greater field of view (e.g., fisheye lenses). An imaging element or elements capture the images from each lens. The captured images are seamed together to form a single spherical image. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,430 patent includes a viewing engine that provides a real-time interactive image window that can be directed anywhere in the spherical image. Preferably, a personal computer system runs perspective correction algorithms to create the image window. Other wide-angle viewing systems are known, but known systems generally do not provide special effects for wide-angle video images.
Reber et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,421, discloses placing an animated character in a wide-angle image. An animated character generator superimposes the animated character onto a perspective corrected image in a spherical wide-angle image. However, the animated character is over-laid on the spherical image, and the Reber et al. does not disclose performing special effects on non-perspective corrected images in wide-angle video images.
Special effects can be used to enhance the quality of video images and a need exists for providing special effects for wide-angle video images.